Imagine your best birthday ever. It probably included a party with cake, ice cream, gifts, cards, decorations, and family and friends. Did you know that some kids have never experienced that moment? This year, the Grow Financial Foundation teamed up with Celebrate Birthdays in the Tampa Bay Area and Birthdays for All in Charleston, South Carolina, to support birthdays for foster kids. Together we’re making the best birthday ever a reality for these kids, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Why birthday supplies?

Aiming to help ensure that every child has the opportunity to celebrate their special day, the Grow Financial Foundation hosted a supply drive collecting cake mix, frosting, candles, party favors, birthday decorations, cutlery and gift wrap. Grow store locations collected and decorated about 60 “Birthdays in a Box,” boxes packed with all the goodies needed to throw a themed birthday party. These boxes will be delivered to foster homes and group homes in the Tampa Bay Area and the South Carolina Lowcountry, supporting birthdays for foster kids.

Grow team members and members also had the opportunity to tap into their creative side by making birthday cards for children in foster care. The Foundation collected hundreds of handmade cards, elevating each “Birthday in a Box” with a personal touch. One child wrote a card that read, “Happy birthday to you. We don’t know each other, but what I know about you is that you are amazing, and people care about you.” The Foundation is so inspired that a child in our community didn’t think twice about caring for another child they’ve never met.

One shared goal

Celebrate Birthdays’ mission is to ensure that every foster child and all children, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, can celebrate their birthday and receive a present. They believe every child deserves to have a special day to call their own.

Co-founder Belinda Leto said, “We are so grateful to the Grow Financial Foundation who helped us support these children. With well over 1,000 items donated, we will be able to help honor and celebrate over 75 foster children with birthdays that otherwise may not have been celebrated. You have made it possible to spread cheer and kindness in our community, and we are truly thankful!”

Birthdays for All believes that every child should get to feel special on their birthday. Their goal is to provide birthday presents to every child in foster care in the Lowcountry.

Grow Financial Foundation Board Member, Cynthia Whiting-Burton, shared, “One of my team members has a connection to Tinker K-8 on MacDill Air Force Base and was able to ask students there to make cards for Celebrate Birthdays. I was blown away by the words of encouragement shared and the creativity of the students. I am so proud of our Grow family and the many team members who came together to make this drive a success.”

The Grow Financial Foundation is proud to support organizations like Celebrate Birthdays and Birthdays for All who make a difference in the lives of so many children. It can be easy to take simple pleasures like birthday cake for granted, but the demonstrated need for these organizations is telling. The Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to support birthdays for foster children in the communities we serve.

 

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